California is known for many things, from its stunning scenery to the nearly year-round sunshine and the glitter of Hollywood.  The west coast landscape is a magnet for successful ventures and that includes ETS Express Inc.  Located in Oxnard not far from the Pacific Ocean, ETS has grabbed the attention of drinkware distributors as a result of installing a new CP100 digital cylindrical printer from INX International Ink Co.  

Getting an immediate return on an investment is working out well for ETS.  Their version of the California gold rush began earlier this year when they started operation of their new equipment shortly before attending the PPAI (Promotional Products Association Industry) Expo in Las Vegas.  ETS had purchased the CP100 to develop attention-getting, high impact promotional premiums in time for the event.  

The plan was to elevate interest by offering bottles with high resolution (up to 300 dpi) 4-color graphics.  The CP100 produces striking, vibrant color reproduction with a singularly unique textural quality that can’t be matched by traditional screen-print, heat transfer or sublimation bottle printing methods.  The results were overwhelming and a strong number of orders already have been fulfilled, successfully launching a new era in product sales for the company.

“People walking by our booth noticed the rich, vibrant colors from the aisle.  When they picked up a bottle, the textural quality cemented the difference.  No one else offers bottles like these,” reports Adam Kovar, VP of Operations for ETS Express.

“PPAI is the largest industry show of the year for us.  We used about 20 feet of our booth space to display bottles printed with the new CP100 technology.  They really drew a crowd and we spent days after the show turning out sample bottles and quotes to fulfill hundreds of requests from prospects.”

Founded in 1985, ETS Express has grown steadily and employs over 300 people.  In 2011, ASI (Advertising Specialty Institute) ranked the firm among the industry’s Top 40 Suppliers.  Kovar first saw the CP100 at Pack Expo in 2010, and then signed a contract at Graph Expo last fall.

“We strive to be on the cutting edge in offering customers the newest and best drinkware from a printing perspective, but even our best screen-print 4-color can’t come close to what we get with the CP100,” Kovar said, pointing out its 300 dpi capability and specially formulated UV LED inks.  “Once a customer puts one of these bottles in their hand, they get pretty excited about its unique potential for their brand.”

The first effort by ETS with the CP100 is on two 24-oz. bottles with the Bolt and Solus each offering seven to 10 basic bottle colors (www.etsexpress.com).  Kovar indicated additional bottle options will be introduced later this year, giving customers more products on which to display this vibrant 4-color, textured artwork.

“The CP100 is our first step of a big step in the digital world, and we expect that our next big challenge will be keeping up with the demand.”

INX International Ink Co. is the third largest producer of inks in North America with over 20 facilities in the U.S. and Canada, and is a global supplier as part of Sakata INX worldwide operations.  For more information, contact Bob Wolff at The Drucker Group:  312.867.4960.